Mac|Life iWork RSS Feed

Apple Releases iWork '09 Update 3, Squashes Many Bugs

Cory Bohon — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:35:48 -0500

Today Apple released a massive update for iWork '09 called "iWork '09 Update 3." The update addresses a number of issues with Pages, Keynote, Numbers, and the iWork.com beta site. According to Apple the "Update addresses general compatibility issues, improves overall stability, updates the help, and fixes a number of other minor issues in Keynote, Pages, and Numbers."

The main issues addressed include:

- Reducing file size of images that have Instant Alpha applied

- Managing file size when inserting some movies

- Working with dates and durations in the Chart Data Editor in Keynote and Pages

- Exporting to CSV from Numbers when using table categories

- Improvements to comment notification and security in iWork.com Beta are also included

Apple is recommending that all iWork users download and install the whopping ~60MB update. You can see the full list of updated features on the Apple Support website, and you can download the update by opening Software Update (Apple menu > Software Update) or by downloading the installer package from the Apple Support Downloads Website.

Dangerous Trojan Linked to Illegal Copies of iWork '09

Florence Ion — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 10:46:57 -0600

Attention all pirates! Stop pirating! According to Intego, A new Trojan attack has been linked with illegal copies of iWork ’09.

Some copies of iWork found on BitTorrent sites contain OSX.Trojan.iServices.A, which masquerades itself as iWorkServices. The application asks for an administrative password and users may be able to bypass it, but those running Mac OS X 10.5.1 will not have that option.

iWorkServices allows itself full access to the system, and connects to a remote server to allow the hacker on the other side to have full access to the user’s computer. Malware may also be installed on the victim’s computer.

Over 20,000 people are believed to have downloaded infected copies of iWork ’09. Intego warns that the Trojan is a serious threat.

iWork 30 Day Trial Now Available for Download

Florence Ion — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:35:07 -0600

Apple is offering a free 30-day trial of the office suite, available here. The trial includes the whole iWork package: Pages '09 (word processing), Numbers '09 (spreadsheet) and Keynote '09 (presentation).

The new iWork.com will allow users to distribute data online so that anyone can view the iWork files, regardless of platform. Colleagues can also download PDFs to work on the files locally, so that users can do work remotely.

iWork.com beta is currently free, though Apple plans on charging for the full version. Until then, try it out!

Apple Releases iWork '09

Zack Stern — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:04:15 -0600

Everybody's iWorking for the weekend.

Phil Schiller introduced iWork '09 in his Macworld Expo keynote. The productivity software upgrades Keynote, Pages, and Numbers, adding new animation and template features. Keynote is also compatible with a slick, new iPhone and iPod touch app that works as a remote.

Underneath the update, the applications offer tighter integration with each other, and Numbers '09 adds more powerful formulas to its roster. iWork '09 is shipping today for $79 or $99 as a family license.

Keynote '09
The iPhone app extra, available for $.99, shows your current slide and speaking notes as you give a presentation. Depending on the phone orientation, you can also see the next slide and otherwise preview upcoming information. New slide animations and themes also require minimal input, animating your objects automatically.

Pages '09
Several minor enhancements alter the way you view and use Pages. A full-screen mode helps those that are easily distracted block everything else out, showing only the current document without style palettes. An outline tool helps organization, and new templates give a boost to DIY designers. Other updates include enhanced math notation and endnote abilities.

Numbers '09
Apple's spreadsheet program adds more ways to categorize already-created tables. You can reorganize by column at any time, shifting a column's data to the left, and filling in a subset of information automatically. Schiller demonstrated this by reorganizing a spreadsheet of baseball players that had been listed by person into hierarchy by position, grouping eligible players inside. Charts are also better integrated with the other iWork applications, automatically reflecting your changes in those applications.

iWork Installer Being Lazy?

Scott Rose — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:06:00 -0500

Pacifist lets you extract or install the contents of package files, such as this package file on the iWork ’08 installation DVD.

I recently bought iWork ’08. I put the DVD into my drive, but when I double-clicked the installer, an error message said, “No default application specified to open the document iWork08.mpkg. Choose application.” Why can’t I install this program?

The iWork installer that you were double-clicking is actually a MPKG file (meta package file), which is a set of compressed files that require Apple’s Installer application to unpack them and install them on your hard drive. The Installer application comes with Mac OS X, not with the software DVD that you bought.

In Mac OS 10.4 (Tiger), the Installer application is located in /Applications/Utilities, so if you’re using 10.4, you may have accidentally thrown it away if you didn’t think it was necessary. In Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard), Apple moved the Installer application to a more hidden location at /System/Library/CoreServices, to make it less likely that people will accidentally move or trash it from there.

If you’re missing the Installer application, your best bet is to reinstall Mac OS X—this will make sure that you get your Installer back, plus any other important system files that might be missing as well. If you already have the Installer application on your Mac, you may need to use a tool like Cocktail ($14.95, www.maintain.se) to rebuild your Launch Services database, which keeps track of applications and their file associations.

Alternatively, you can use Pacifist ($20, www.charlessoft.com) to extract or install the contents of any MPKG file, such as the one on your iWork ’08 installation DVD. Pacifist can also extract files from PKG files, DMG disk images, ZIP files, and more.